Sliding door closer



Aug. 27, 1968 T. F. NIEMAN SLIDING DOOR CLOSER Filed Jan. 28, 1966 v M m m M 5 E S W A M w T W xx w A H M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,398,424 SLIDING DOOR CLOSER Thomas F. Nieman, Denver, Colo., assignor to Patio Door Closer, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Jan. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 523,750 1 Claim. (CI. 16-80) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic, spring-biased closer for sliding doors includes a lintel mounted base member supporting a pivotal arm extending downwardly therebelow, and the arm has its lower end reciprocably mounted in a slide track mounted on a stile of the door. A coil spring mounted between the base and the arm biases the arm and door mounted slide track toward closed position.

This invention relates to automatic means for closing doors and more particularly to automatic means for closing sliding doors and particularly sliding screen doors.

An object of this invention is to provide a closer for sliding doors.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closer which is essentially in line with the frame of the sliding door and thereby is essentially concealed by the frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spring actuated closer for automatically closing a sliding door by providing a spring biasing the door toward closed.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention may be readily ascertained by referring to the description and appended illustrations in which:

FIG. 1 is a general diagrammatic view of a closer mounted on a door frame and showing the positions of the various members of the closer during opening of a sliding door;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail of the closer according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the closer taken along section line 3-3; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of the spring system of the closer according to the invention.

In the illustration of FIG. 1 a sliding door is mounted in the frame with a stationary section 12, the frame being provided with a lintel 14 and a threshold 16. Side frames 18 and 20 complete the frame for the sliding door. The sliding door is framed by means of a front or lock stile 22, a rear stile 24, top frame 26 with bottom frame 28. The sliding door may be a glazed door or a screen door, such doors being common in residences and various commercial installations. Such sliding door installations conventionally use nylon skids between the door frame parts and the lintel and threshold since the majority of such doors and frames are made of aluminum which is not self-lubricating and may stick in face contact. The doors, therefore, slide quite freely with little pressure needed.

The door closer shown in general by numeral 30 includes a base support member 32 which is attached by means of screws or the like 34 to the lintel 14 of the door frame and about the position of the door frame member 24 in closed position. The support 32 has an outwardly depending pivot pin 36 adjacent its lower end, and a closer arm 40 is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 36. The opposite end of the arm 40 has an outwardly depending runner 44 secured by means of a pin 42. The runner is preferably made of nylon or other equivalent material.

The runner 44 includes a flange 46 for riding in a track 50 which is attached to the frame 24 of the sliding member of the door assembly. The track 50 includes a channel member 52 having overhanging lips 54 on each side of the slot of the channels shown in FIG. 3, so that the opening to the slot has a Width less than the slot width. The channel may be attached by means of screws or bolts or other convenient means to the rear stile of the door frame. The flange 46 rides under the lips 54 and prevents the rider from coming out of the groove laterally, but it is arranged to come out longitudinally at an open end of the track 50.

The runner 44 is preferably cylindrical with an annular flange and rotatably mounted on the pin 42 so that it may rotate in the track for smooth movement. The runner is arranged to ride from about the bottom to the top of the track when attached to the door, as shown in FIG. 1, so that pressure on the arm 40 biases the bar toward vertical or closed position of the door. The track 50 may have one closed end or two open ends as desired.

The means for applying pressure to the arm for closing includes a flat coiled spring 60 which is coiled around the pin 36 between arm 40 and support 32. One end 62 of the coiled spring is hooked around the support 32 and the other end 64 is hooked over the arm 40. By providing a coiled spring with multiple coils the strength of the spring bias on the arm can readily be controlled by unwinding the coil, in other words, taking off one loop from around the pin by the end 64 that passes over the closer arm 40. In this manner the spring biases the arm 40 toward the closed position of the door. The number of loops and the size of the spring wire determine the amount of pressure which may be exerted by the spring. Also, the size, weight, etc., of the door determine the size of spring needed.

The closer is easily installed on the door by securing the support 32 to the lintel of the door frame above the rear door stile and by securing the track 50 to the rear stile of the frame of the sliding door portion with the arm runner in the track. This holds the arm 40 in approximately vertical position when the door is closed. On opening the door the runner slides up the track 50 as the arm is extended outwardly at an angle to the vertical position. This exerts pressure to unwind the coil spring, and the spring in turn exerts pressure to bias the arm back toward vertical position. This closes the door when the door is released.

The arm 40 is preferably long enough to provide the pressure on the door for closing somewhere near the middle rather than top or bottom. This permits the use of optimum pressure for closing the door. With screen doors a fairly light spring may be used since very little pressure is needed for the closing, particularly where the pressure for closing is at about the middle of the door. Additionally, the arm, under the influence of the spring, produces a generally horizontal force without any side forces making the closing of the door easy without binding.

While the invention has been illustrated by a reference to a particular device, there is no intent to limit the spirit or the scope of the invention to the precise details so set forth except as defined in the following claim.

1. An automatic sliding door closer comprising a support having a base arranged to be mounted on the lintel of a door frame and depend downwardly thereform; a pivot mounted on said support at a point remote from said base; an elongated bar mounted adjacent one end on said pivot and arranged to pivot therearound; a flat wound coil spring mounted on and around said pivot having one end hooked over one side of said support and the other end of said spring hooked over the adjacent side of said bar so as to bias said bar away from one side, and when mounted said spring is arranged to bias said bar toward closed door position; a slide track arranged to be mounted at about the middle of and on a stile of the sliding door frame below said support, said slide track having a slot with the opposing overhanging edges decreasing the slot opening to less than the slot width; said slide track being mounted generally below said support when mounted on a door in closed position; and a slide block depending laterally from said slide bar and mounted in said track, said slide block having a flange remote from said bar slidably mounted in said slot and under said overhanging edges which prevents lateral movement of said block out of said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner. 

